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Amritsar, literally meaning
the tank of nectar, is steeped in glorious
religious and national traditions. Its
temples - Hari Mandir and the Durgiana
Mandir are places of pilgrimage for
the devout Hindus and the Sikhs, its
Jallianwala Bagh is the mecca of freedom-lovers
and its busy markets are the haunts
of many a trader from India and abroad.
Prior to the partition of the country,
Amritsar occupied an unrivalled position
in the business and commercial life
of the undivided Punjab. Situated as
it is on important trade routes, its
trade even today extends to Kabul, Kashmir
and Tibet, although the Partition left
it a border town and did away with much
of its erstwhile importance as a trade
center.
Guru Ramdas, the fourth Guru of the
Sikhs, who decided to build here a magnificent
temple to serve as a central place of
pilgrimage for the Sikhs, founded Amritsar
in the late sixteenth century. The design
of the shrine included the construction
of a tank round the proposed temple.
The site lay in picturesque surroundings
where the congregations met for prayer
and contributed voluntary labor to build
the tank under the personal guidance
of the Guru. Later, a sprawling town
was to grow round this sacred spot.
It fell to the share of Guru Arjan
Dev, the fifth in the apostolic line,
to develop the shrine and the town on
a larger scale. He built a beautiful
temple on the spot, in the middle of
the sacred tank, where the famous Golden
Temple stands today. Hazrat Sheikh Mian
Mir, a Muslim Saint, who was a great
friend and admirer of the Guru, laid
the foundation stone of this temple.
By this time Guru Arjan Dev hand compiled
the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth
Sahib, which was placed in the temple
with great reverence. Devotional hymns
from the holy book are recited daily
and thousands of people come here for
spiritual solace.
Amritsar lied at a distance of about
280 miles from Delhi and is only 16
miles from Wagha, the outpost of the
Indo-Pakistan border. With a population
of about 4,00,000 and a number of educational
institutions, business markets, industrial
concerns, banks, hotels parks and restaurants,
Amritsar still remains the most important,
the largest and, perhaps, the most picturesque
city in the Punjab.
The Golden Temple is, by far, the biggest
attraction of Amritsar. The Sikhs call
it Hari Mandir (The Temple of the Lord)
or Darbar Sahib - The Court Divine.
The Temple, surrounded by the sacred
tank, presents a lovely sight when its
glimmering reflection is caught by the
myriad ripples dancing around it. At
night the Temple and the causeway leading
up to it are brightly lit.
The temple is a three-storied imposing
structure, the top being a canopied
gilded dome surrounded by golden turrets.
The inside of the Temple contains the
filigree and enamel work in gold, which
is a rare specimen of its kind.
On special occasions such as birthday
anniversaries of the Gurus and on the
Diwali night, the Golden Temple is attractively
illuminated and it presents a feast
of color and light. Huge crowds assemble
to witness these illuminations.
Among the buildings near the Golden
Temple, the Akal Takht or the Immortal
Throne and the tower of Baba Atal are
of special interest to a visitor. Akal
Takhat is the seat of Sikh theocratic
authority where all decisions pertaining
to the religious and social life of
the Sikh are taken. The tower of Baba
Atal, an octagonal nine-storied structure,
150 feet high, perpetuates the memory
of Baba Atal Rai, son of Guru Hargobind,
the sixth Guru.
About a quarter of mile from the Golden
Temple is the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial
which commemorates the sacrifices of
hundreds of men, women and children
who were victims of a ruthless firing
in the dark days of 1919. The incident
took place on April 13, 1919, when thousands
of people had gathered in Jallianwala
Bagh to voice their feelings against
the repressive policy of the British
Government. General Dyer tried to silence
the freedom-lovers with volleys of bullets
which, according to official estimates,
took a toll of 397 lives and wounded
another 1,200 persons. This accentuated
political awakening in Indian and brought
Mahatma Gandhi to the forefront of the
Indian political life. The bullet marks
can be seen to this day on the boundary
walls of the garden. Jallianwala Bagh
has been turned into a spacious and
well-laid park where people from all
parts of the country come on a political
pilgrimage.
The historic Rambagh Garden outside
the City is a big attraction in the
evenings when people throng is green
parks to relax and breathe fresh air.
Several clubs function in the Garden
which also houses the well-known Summer
Place of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh:
The historic Rambagh Garden outside
the City is a big attraction in the
evenings when people throng its green
parks to relax and breathe fresh air.
This garden is laid out on the pattern
of Shalimar Bagh at Lahore.
Only it's architecturally unique 'darshani
deorhi' has remained intact. A museum
after the name of the Maharaja is set
up here displaying oil paintings, miniatures,
coins, weapons relating to the Sikh
period. Several clubs function in the
Garden which also houses the well-known
Summer Place of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Durgiana Temple:
A partial replica of the Golden Temple,
is situated outside the Lohgarh Gate.
It is sacred to the Goddess Durga and
is frequented by the devout Hindus.
The temple is dedicated to goddess Durga
and dates back to 16th century. This
Hindu temple also draws its share of
visitors. A large temple is dedicated
to Hindu deities Laxmi ( The Goddess
of wealth) and Narayan. ( The Preserver
of Universe ). All dignitaries visiting
Golden Temple make it a point to visit
Durgiana Temple also.
Khalsa College & Guru Nanak Dev
University :
Khalsa College, Amritsar was founded
in 1892 and built on grand scale in
typical Sikh architecture, its distinguished
alumni; sportsmen, servicemen, administrators,
professionals, fill up India's compilations
of Who's Who. On a part of its land
a new University called Guru Nanak Dev
University was established at Amritsar.
Soon it has become distinguished for
starting modern curricula and has etched
its name on the sports map of India.
Fort Gobind Garh In the south-west
of the city, has been taken over by
the Indian army and is now off limits.
It was built in 1805-09 by Ranjit Singh,
who was also responsible for constructing
the city walls.
Taran Taran:
24 Kilometers south of Amritsar is Tarn-Taran
a town founded by Sri Guru Arjan Dev
in 1590.Fairs are held here on every
'Amavas' dark night of the month, birth
anniversaries of the Gurus, Baisakhi
and Diwali.
Goindwal :
A few kilometers away from Tarn Taran
is the town of Goindwal, where Guru
Amar Das established a new centre for
preaching Sikhism. A 'Baoli', well paved
with 84 steps was constructed here.
The devout believe that by reciting
Japji Sahib, the divine 'Word' revealed
to Guru Nanak Devji at each step after
taking a bath in the Baoli provides
'Moksh', liberation from 84,000 cycles
of life of this world. Khadur Sahib
is 32 kms. south-east of Amritsar city
and close to Goindwal. During the life
of the second Sikh Prophet, Guru Angad
Dev, it was the center of Sikhism.
Ram Tirath:
16 Kilometers west of Amritsar on Choganwan
road is Ram Tirath, commemorating Maharishi
Balmik Ji's hermitage. A big fair now
recognised nationally and lasting for
four days is held here since times immemorial
on every Kartika Puran-mashi (full moon
night in November).
Harike Wetland:
The lake formed at the point of confluence
of rivers Beas and Sutlej at Harike
ford, situated mid way between Amritsar
and Ferozepur was declared a national
wildlife sanctuary in 1982. It is a
welcome winter home to about 350 odd
species of birds from far-flung lands
of China, Siberia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Baba Bakala:
Situated about 45 kilometers east of
Amritsar on the Batala road. Sri Guru
Tegh Bahadur ji, revealed himself to
Makhan shah labana, a Sikh devotee here.
It has a magnificent Gurudwara where
people gather in thousands on every
amavas (moonless night) annual fair
is held on Raksha Bandhan day (night
of n August) when about one lakh people
visit the place.
Dera Baba Jaimal Singh:
About 54 kilometers of Amritsar is Dera
Baba Jaimal Singh,a self-sufficient
colony near Beas. It is presided over
by a living master.
By Air Amritsar is connected by Indian
Airlines flights to Delhi. Everyday
Wednesday and Friday, Indian Airlines
has a flight from Delhi to Amritsar
and back. The arrival time is 1.50 p.m.
and departure time from Amritsar is
2.20 p.m. There are two connecting flights
of Air India from Amritsar to Delhi
– London and Delhi – New York
sector on every Tuesday and Saturday.
Arrival time at Amritsar of Air India
flight is 1.05 A.M. and departure is
at 1.45 A.M.
Raja Sansi Airport is just 11 kms. from
the Golden Temple and taxis are available
at negotiable rates. The airport has
a Punjab Tourist Information Counter.
By Train Amritsar is well connected
by rail to all corners of the country
with trains. Important trains include
Frontier Mail to Bombay, Shatabdi Express
to Delhi and Utkal Express to Puri.
There is an Extension Counter of our
Information Office near the main entrance
of Railway Station.
Amritsar Railway Station is provided
with all passenger amenities. Taxis/Auto
Rickshaws and Cycle Rickshaws are available
outside the station. Free Bus Service
(Buses plying by the S.G.P.C. free of
cost) is also available at the station.
The route of these buses is from Railway
Station to Golden Temple (Sri Darbar
Sahib) via Bus Stand and vice versa.
It takes only 15 minutes to reach Golden
Temple (Sri Darbar Sahib) from the Railway
Station.
By Bus There is vast network of bus
services from Amritsar with services
by state transport systems of Punjab,
Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, PEPSU,
Chandigarh, U.P., J & K, Rajasthan
and private operators. From the Bus
Stand, there are regular buses plying
to and fro all the districts of the
state as well as outside the state.
A number of Private buses also ply.
There are A/c buses running between
Amritsar and Chandigarh, Delhi and Jammu.
Most of these buses depart from outside
Hall Gate or from outside the Railway
station. Auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws
are easily available at the bus stand.
Horse-drawn tongas are also available.
It takes just 10 minutes to reach Golden
Temple from bus stand.
Amritsar at a Glance
AREA : 5,075 sq. kms.
POPULATION : 25,03,165 (District)
LANGUAGES : Punjabi, Hindi and English.
CROPS : Wheat, Rice, cotton, Sugarcane.
ROADS : 3,522 Kms.
AIRPORT : Raja Sansi International Airport.
CLIMATE :
Summer - 46°C to 35°C
Winter - 16°C to 0°C
Monsoons – July to Sept.
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